Female characters with Asperger's Syndrome?
Seriously the most NT character on television ever??
Hmm, I disagree. I just finished watching the whole series again and I think Elaine Benes is the tv character who acts and talks the most like I do. This is all conjecture anyway, and that is my observation.
Sorry responding to this like 1.5 years later but Elaine Beness is an extreme extrovert and her profession as a writer/editor involves a lot of presentations and public interaction and managing staff in a publishing company (a very NT thing). She has no problem attracting men and has been through lots of boyfriends before and after dating Jerry (she dated a total of 50 men during the series).
She is very physical and open and not afraid to approach/talk to anyone. She's highly self-confident and determined.
The only traits that seem odd about Elaine are her weird kicks she does when she dances (but even here she knows she can't dance but doesn't mind publicly humiliating herself) and occasionally has uncontrollable snorting laughter.
Of course this doesn't mean her overall persona isn't relatable to some female Aspies. She has an IQ of 141 and is a little obsessive compulsive but her overall character seems quite NT.
I have read threads that propose all 4 characters in Seinfeld are aspies. Indeed Jerry Seinfled himself may well have Aspergers in real life. Kramer and George also have aspie traits but never struck me as apsies. Of all 4 Elaine is the weakest case for an Aspie. But happy to be shown otherwise.
Dr Beverly Hofstadter from the big bang theory, her approach to parenting is hilarious but unfortunately resonates a bit too much with me.
Dr Temperance Brennan from bones, her logical approach to all things was brilliant.
Wow that was a scarily short list. We need more stories with aspie females in!
_________________
Officially diagnosed - Asperger syndrome, ASD, HFA
AQ 45 out of 50
EQ 2 out of 80
https://psychology-tools.com/
I really think that Gwen LaMorte from Will Wood's Patreon zine, "The Prescription," is autistic. I know not a lot of people have read it, but I want to talk about her anyway. She's very emotionally sensitive but also very blunt, to the point that the other characters find it strange and inappropriate. She gets very attached to people but doesn't know how to behave in social situations, and she's very verbose. She's described as walking with an "experimental gait" (odd posture), and she wears sunglasses inside and uses an umbrella all the time (light sensitivity sensory issues). I think my favorite thing about her is that you assume her character is going to be a quirky Timburtonesque teenage manic-pixie-dream-girl, but she's not. All her emotions are taken seriously by the story even if they aren't taken seriously in the world she lives in.
I could be (and probably might be) just projecting, because I really relate to her character, but yeah, I think she's autistic.
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,238
Location: Long Island, New York
Justine Lupe relishes bringing a beloved Stephen King character to life.
Beyond all that baggage, however, Holly, through the three books and now in AT&T AUDIENCE Network's Mr. Mercedes series, now in its third season, finds her way out of a suffocating home life and into her own life, making her own choices and even becoming a partner in a private investigation firm with lead character Bill Hodges, played by Brendan Gleeson, and Jerome Robinson, played by Emmy-winning actor Jharrel Jerome.
Lupe knew that the character was popular among King's readers, and that caused a bit of trepidation. She says, "I was a little bit nervous to fill the shoes that he created. For the audition itself, I luckily had really good writing from David Kelly. He wrote her so specifically."
"After I got the part and I read the book, I realized how he really capture the essence of how she speaks with the punctuation and all the little nuances that he put into the writing really reflects who she is as a person, so that was this amazing gift in terms of the audition itself. I just followed that.
"Once I got to know the character better before I started the series, I looked into ways that people deal with being on the spectrum, coping mechanisms, tics that people might have.
"My mom has worked with people who have autism or are on the spectrum, have some of these sensory disorders, so she gave me some tips, and I read a lot about it.
Lupe sees far more in the character beyond her differences, however. She notes, "I feel like that aspect of her personality is both a small part of who she is, and also incredibly important to who she is, and influences all these other, really special attributes that she has. I really wanted it to be a part of her story.
"It's not completely defined in the books exactly what she is dealing with, so I didn't want it to be hitting you over the head with it. I just felt like there was something going on, so to add in some flickers of that and explore that without letting it rule who she was as a character, and letting it impact. Highlighting the other really special parts of her was the route to take with it. I'm glad that it reads that way."
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
ASPartOfMe
Veteran
Joined: 25 Aug 2013
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,238
Location: Long Island, New York
Robin Buckley - Stranger Things
_________________
Professionally Identified and joined WP August 26, 2013
DSM 5: Autism Spectrum Disorder, DSM IV: Aspergers Moderate Severity
“My autism is not a superpower. It also isn’t some kind of god-forsaken, endless fountain of suffering inflicted on my family. It’s just part of who I am as a person”. - Sara Luterman
I hate to admit it, but this convinced me 98% that the writers consciously wrote her as autistic. Which makes me wonder how to feel about that representation. Was it gratuitous? Was also having her be gay gratuitous? Are they trying to imply a correlation between being gay and on the spectrum, and if so, how does that impact the quality of what they've created?
Similar Topics | |
---|---|
Question about Asperger Syndrome and tem "Severe Asperger" |
29 Jan 2024, 11:37 pm |
Characters you think are autistic! |
13 Mar 2024, 4:17 am |
Least favourite Nintendo characters |
08 Mar 2024, 4:06 pm |
Cutest and most attractive/sexiest Nintendo characters |
13 Mar 2024, 11:00 am |